The 1900 season marked the arrival of not only a new century but of a new era in major league baseball. After absorbing the American Association in December 1891, the National League tottered along for eight years as an unwieldy 12-team circuit. At the close of the 1899 campaign, however, the NL pared down its size by bidding farewell to its four weakest members. The elimination of Cleveland, Baltimore, Washington, and Louisville streamlined the NL to eight teams and created a stable composition that would endure until 1953.

The chief beneficiaries of the NL's decision to cut back in size were Brooklyn and Pittsburgh. Both had been under "syndicate" ownership in 1899, a common practice at the time that allowed the same partnership of owners to operate more than one team. As a result, Brooklyn fell heir to most of the cast from the great Baltimore Orioles teams of the mid-1890s, and Barney Dreyfuss, who owned the controlling stock in both the Pittsburgh and Louisville franchises, simply transferred all of the defunct Kentucky club's top players to the Steel City. Among them were pitchers Deacon Phillippe, Jack Chesbro, and Rube Waddell; player-manager Fred Clarke; and the great Honus Wagner.

It was Brooklyn's annexation of three Baltimore pitchers -- Kitty Kitson, Harry Howell, and Iron Man Joe McGinnity -- that spelled the difference in 1900. The trio joined with holdover Brickyard Kennedy for 70 of Brooklyn's 82 wins and lift manager Ned Hanlon's club to its second straight NL pennant by a comfortable 4-1/2 games over Pittsburgh. Philadelphia finished eight lengths back in third place, and Boston rounded out the first division even though the Beantown entry slipped six games under .500.

Because the Louisville contingent needed time to blend with his Pittsburgh holdovers, Dreyfuss's Pirates did not really begin to gel until the season was nearly completed. To settle doubts that he had the superior team, Hanlon accepted Dreyfuss's best-of-five postseason challenge, with all the games to be played in Pittsburgh for a silver cup to be donated by the Pittsburgh Chronicle-Telegraph. The "Series" opened on October 15 at the Pirates' Exposition Park. Behind McGinnity and Kitson, Hanlon's Superbas took the first two games but then were belted 10-0 in the third contest. The following day McGinnity cruised to a 6-1 triumph and convinced any lingering skeptics that the best team had won in the regular season.

--David Nemec & Saul Wisnia

Baseball: More Than 150 Years

National League

G

W

L

Pct.

GB

RF

RA

BRO

142

82

54

.603

-

816

722

PIT

140

79

60

.568

4.5

733

612

PHI

141

75

63

.543

8.0

810

791

BOS

142

66

72

.478

17.0

778

739

CHI

146

65

75

.464

19.0

635

751

STL

142

65

75

.464

19.0

743

747

CIN

144

62

77

.446

21.5

702

745

NYG

141

60

78

.435

23.0

713

823

Pittsburgh's Honus Wagner led the league in batting average (.381), slugging average (.573), doubles (45), triples (22), and total bases (302).

Boston shortstop Herman Long hit the most homeruns (12).

Rube Waddell (PIT) led the league with his 2.37 ERA and 130 strikeouts.

Brooklyn's Joe McGinnity led the league with wins (29) and innings (347).

Willie Keeler (BRO) had the league's most hits with 204.

Philadelphia's Elmer Flick led the NL in runs produced (205) and RBI (110).

CHRONOLOGY

1.19 -- Boston catcher Marty Bergen, who had suffered a career-ending injury last season, kills his wife and two children before taking his own life.

2.3 -- John McGraw, who has threatened to form a Baltimore team in a new American League if the NL drops its Baltimore franchise, seeks to take control of Union Park. His men set up camp around third base, while Ned Hanlon, president of the NL Baltimore club, collects his forces at first base.

2.28 -- Having dropped his plans to form an American League club in Baltimore, John McGraw signs with NL Baltimore. But, when the Baltimore team is disbanded, McGraw and Wilbert Robinson refuse (on March 23) to report to Brooklyn, and are eventually traded to St. Louis.

3.8 -- A National League meeting in New York results in the trimming of the league to eight teams. Baltimore owners receive $30,000 while Louisville, Cleveland and Washington receive $10,000.

3.9 -- Among other rules changes, the NL approves a balk rule that allows a baserunner, but not a batter, to advance, and adopts a five-sided home plate to replace the previous one-foot square version.

3.16 -- At an American League meeting in Chicago, Ban Johnson announces that the city will host an AL club on the south side, which will be known as the White Stockings.

4.19 -- In the highest-scoring season opener in ML history, Philadelphia defeats Boston 19-17 in ten innings. Boston scores nine runs in the 9th, including three by pinch hitters (another ML record, which will be tied four times in the 20th century, but never broken.)

4.26 -- On their way to a game at the Polo Grounds, George Davis, Kid Gleason and Mike Grady rush to a burning apartment building to rescue some of its inhabitants -- then proceed to the game.

5.5 -- Chicago's Jimmy Ryan hits his 20th career lead-off home run in a game against Cincinnati.

5.8 -- John McGraw and Wilbert Robinson finally report to the St. Louis Cardinals.

5.20 -- Police suspect arson when a fire breaks out at the Pittsburgh ballpark for the third time in a fortnight.

5.28 -- A fire at the Cincinnati ballpark destroys the grandstand, and the Reds have to play road games for an entire month.

5.31 -- Philadelphia's Nap Lajoie breaks his hand in a fight with teammate Elmer Flick. He is suspended for five weeks.

6.9 -- Delegates from all the NL teams meet in New York and form the Players' Protective Association. Chief Zimmer is elected president.

6.27 -- Heavyweight boxing champ Gentleman Jim Corbett makes the last of his 37 appearances in the minor leagues for the New York State League's Binghamton club.

7.4 -- Giants first baseman Jack Doyle slugs an umpire when called out on a steal attempt. Doyle is arrested and will be fined on a charge of assault.

7.5 -- Brooklyn's Jerry Nops pitches a one-hitter against Cincinnati, and tomorrow his teammate Frank Kitson will do likewise -- the first back-to-back no-hitters by a team's pitching staff since 1884.

7.8 -- St. Louis Cardinal Jesse Burkett hits a pair of inside-the-park homers in a game -- the fourth time in his career that he has done so.

7.13 -- Buck Ewing resigns as manager of the last-place Giants. He is replaced by George Davis.

7.17 -- Giants rookie Christy Mathewson makes his first appearance in the big league. He walks two, hits three batters with a pitch, and allows six runs in a 13-7 loss to Brooklyn.

7.26 -- Gus Weyring is released by the Cardinals without receiving the ten-days' pay to which he is entitled. Weyring has a deputy sheriff seize the St. Louis share of gate receipts at the Brooklyn ballpark. It's less than $100.

7.29 -- 100 players gather in New York to demand that players who are not being used should be released and that players who are sold should receive a share of the purchase price.

8.2 -- Following a disputed call, New York manager George Davis assaults umpire William Terry -- with the help of the crowd.

8.13 -- A mechanical pitching gun invented by Princeton professor Charles Hinton is used in a Memphis Chicks game.

8.18 -- Cardinals manager Pat Tebeau resigns and is replaced by Cards business manager -- and future publisher of The Baseball Blue Book -- Louie Heilbroner. The players, however, won't take orders from Heilbroner.

8.19 -- In the fledgling American League, Milwaukee's Rube Waddell pitches 17 innings in the first game of a doubleheader -- then pitches in the second game after Connie Mack promises him a few days off to go fishing. Waddell wins both games.

9.6 -- Philadelphia scores 20 runs on 25 hits against Chicago's Nixey Callahan. That sets Chicago club records for most runs and hits allowed. (Callahan will give up 23 hits to the Giants on Sept. 11.)

9.12 -- The Cincinnati Reds commit 17 errors in a doubleheader with Brooklyn, the most errors by a team in one day in the 20th century.

9.14 -- The Giants perform the first triple play in the 20th century in a game with Chicago. Ten years will pass before the NL sees another.

9.17 -- Cincinnati shortstop Tommy Corcoran discovers that the Phillies are stealing signs, using wires and buzzers running from the coach's box to the locker room and then to the 3B coach.

9.18 -- The new AL's first season concludes with the Chicago White Stockings winning the pennant.

9.19 -- Cardinals catcher Wilbert Robinson hurls a ball at an umpire and is thrown out. When John McGraw refuses to put a new catcher in the game, the umpire forfeits the game to Brooklyn.

9.26 -- The Giants dispatch Christy Mathewson back to the minors, where he will be picked up by Cincinnati for $100.

10.3 -- Brooklyn wins the NL pennant by taking both games of a doubleheader in Boston.

10.8 -- Cincinnati and Chicago combine for 25 errors in a doubleheader -- a record that still stands.

10.13 -- Hoping to lure players from the NL, AL president Ban Johnson promises that his league's player contracts will contain provisions that, among other things, limit suspensions to ten days, forbid selling or farming out without the player's consent, and no reserve clause for more than three years.

10.20 -- The Cardinals withhold the final month's pay from all but a few players, claiming their bad habits (such as gambling) caused the club's poor showing.